History with ‘Hud’: Celebrating 60 years since WWAY aired its first newscast
LELAND, NC (WWAY) — WWAY has a hard-working ground of individuals who make up their current on-air news team. But there have been countless changes to the faces you see on your screen and the station as a whole since WWAY signed on air for the first time on October 30, 1964.
The very first broadcast went out over the ABC airwaves on a Friday at 6:15 p.m. as a black and white selection of comments from the Wilmington Mayor along with an invocation from the Temple Baptist Church reverend.
The segments were filmed on the 10th flood of the historic Murchison Building in downtown, which would remain the home of WWAY for five years. From the high location, the Cape Fear River and Battleship North Carolina served as a natural backdrop.
Many of the first employees had never held a job in news before, learning as they went. But they managed to produce quality news segments sometimes recorded hours prior to airing. Despite the delay, WWAY was still able offer breaking news to residents, as the internet’s ability to spread news like wildfire was still decades away.
WWAY was founded by Cape Fear Telecasting, owned by a group of businessmen in Wilmington. They operated the station for several years before selling it to Clay Communications in 1968. The transaction ushered in a new era and location for the station, which promptly moved down Front Street to a lot near where Cape Fear Community College is today.
Much of that ground was occupied for years by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, which had moved its headquarters to Florida in 1960. The buildings and land were given to the city upon their departure. A big push was made for redevelopment of the region, with WWAY’s new owners able to capitalize on the opportunity.
More experienced news anchors and higher-end cameras were brought in and WWAY continued to grow into the 1980s, with a series of new owners beginning in 1987. Several more sales every few years for the next few decades would see the station finally being acquired by Morris Multimedia in 2006, which has owned the station ever since.
Their purchase resulted in some changes to the station. Most notable being a huge green screen cloth being used to cover up a physical backdrop, allowing for freedom to interchange virtual sets around the studio. It would remain this way for another decade — with WWAY picking up a newscast on The CW in 2013 and a few on CBS in 2016 — before a big change was announced.
Morris Multimedia announced acquired the former Thunder Alley Bowling Center in Leland in March of 2017 for a new studio location. After more than half a century on Front Street in downtown Wilmington, the station traveled across the Cape Fear River and held its first broadcast from the Brunswick County town on April 29, 2018 with Amanda Fitzpatrick and Randy Aldridge as anchors.
Hurricane Florence struck later that year, with WWAY staying on air for days to bring residents the latest on the impactful system. In the six years since, WWAY has continued to grow in its relatively-new home of Leland.
While a lot has changed in the last 60 years, some things have remained the same. Through dozens of new faces, two station moves and countless major stories and storms, WWAY’s dedication to keeping Cape Fear resident safe and informed remains a top priority we hope to continue for years to come.
Meteorologist Matthew Huddleston (‘Hud’) has always had two major loves – weather and history. While you can watch him talk about weather each morning on WWAY, he looks forward to bringing you a little piece of history each Thursday on WWAY’s website.
To read other History with ‘Hud’ segments, click HERE.
